Sciatica Relief

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for the care and attention I received from Dr. Nguyen & his team during a very difficult time in my life. I am a healthy 37-year-old man who has never had any issues or health concerns in my life, besides sciatic nerve issues.

Before I stepped foot into the Joseph Spine Institute, I had already been seen by my Chiropractor, a doctor at an Urgent Care and a doctor in the emergency room at Tampa General Hospital. Nothing they provided for me could relieve my pain. I had X-rays taken as well as an MRI to try and pinpoint where my pain was coming from and why.

I have had sciatica issues since 2017 and it would flare up if I did any heavy lifting or if I were out at a theme park for the day. In the past, to relieve me of pain, all I had to do was sit down or stretch and the pain would go away. Bending over and touching my toes while standing in line at Space Mountain always helped. But, for this flare up, nothing relieved my pain. I couldn’t sit, lay down or stretch to relieve the pain I had. Something as simple as getting in and out of my bed hurt so badly that I screamed in pain.

Chiropractor Refers to Joseph Spine Institute

Finally, my chiropractor referred me to the Joseph Spine Institute where they called me and setup an appointment as early as they could. By this time, I was using a cane to walk. Dr. Nguyen came into the room and informed me he had already reviewed my scans and he said “I don’t like to push surgery if we could do something else first, but you need to have surgery.” He began to describe the procedure to me and told me the risks. My husband and I looked at each other and almost immediately agreed to do the surgery.

Surgery for Sciatica Relief

I asked him when he could perform the surgery for me and he said “Well, it could take up to 2-3 weeks for your insurance to approve you to have the surgery.” I looked at him, almost in tears because I was in so much pain at that moment, and I said “Doctor, I cannot wait 2-3 weeks to have this surgery unless you can prescribe me something that will relieve this pain until it is approved.” He stated he could notprescribe me anything at this point. But, he said something that I will never forget.

Dr. Nguyen said to me “If you are in this much pain, you need to go to the emergency room. I do surgery at St. Joseph’s hospital and if you want me to do your surgery, you can go to that hospital, get checked in and ask for me and I can do your surgery this Thursday. That way, because you went through the ER, insurance will most likely have to pay.” This made me feel like he actually cared for me and I wasn’t just a number that could wait in pain until the process took place. This was a huge relief for me and my husband, as the pain wasn’t getting any better and I hadn’t slept in 3 days because of the pain.

So, the next morning I drove to St. Joseph’s Hospital -South, got checked in and the following day he performed my surgery. I have never had surgery in my life and this was a little nerve wrecking for me, but since the surgery I have felt like a brand-new man.

Dr. Nguyen’s Dedication to Patient Health

Dr. Nguyen’s attention to detail and dedication to my health is something I will always be thankful for. From the initial diagnosis to the surgery and beyond, he has always been able to provide me with the utmost level of care and compassion.

On behalf of myself, my husband and my family, I would like to thank him for all the work he has done for me. His efforts have been instrumental in my recovery and I wholeheartedly appreciate everything he has done for me. I wanted to send this letter just to let you know what an amazing doctor he is and how he changed my life, which I will never forget.

Much appreciation & respect,

Marshall Welch, Jr.